Slovakia has come in 46th among the 134 countries evaluated in the World Economic Forum’s 2008-2009 Global Competitiveness Report, the SITA newswire wrote.
This was a fall of four spots from last year and the country’s second annual shift downward, said Robert Kičina, the executive director of the Slovak Business Alliance (PAS), an official partner of the World Economic Forum in Slovakia. He said government negligence in resolving persistent problems in the business environment lay behind the result. The World Economic Forum again identified high taxes and social and health insurance contributions, together with the costs of agricultural policy, as Slovakia’s the biggest competitive disadvantages.
This survey is unique because the major part of the assessment is based on the opinions of managers of firms provided in questionnaires, and on their views about the future. Recent statistical data is given little weight. Among Slovakia’s biggest competitive disadvantages were also listed widespread cronyism and the extraordinarily low confidence of citizens in the financial incorruptibility of politicians. SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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